Title: Antibody Response to Reverse Transcriptase in Cats Infected with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus
Abstract: The antibody response in cats to feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) reverse transcriptase (RT) was followed for 3 years. Eight of the nine cats used in this study produced reverse transcriptase-inhibiting (RTI) antibodies. Relative inhibitory means of 2.9%, 18.4%, 33%, and 47% were found 6, 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively, after infection with FIV. The enzyme activity was suppressed by ≥78% with the use of 100 μg of FIV-associated IgG. The RTI antibodies were FIV-specific, as they did not inhibit other mammalian retroviral polymerases, including feline leukemia virus RT. An RT-inhibition assay with sera in the presence of protein A and immunoblot analysis showed that antibody binding to FIV RT protein p62 is independent of antibody ability to block enzyme activity. Viral RT released by detergent-treated virus was stable for more than 6 weeks at 4°C, whereas its activity was reduced by 50% after 2 weeks at 37°C. Because significant concentrations of RTI antibodies are detected only at 1 to 2 years after infection, they can be used to determine the approximate time of virus infection and as a marker for disease progression.
Publication Year: 1991
Publication Date: 1991-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref', 'pubmed']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 7
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot